Saturday, 19 July 2014

There is a carriage in the courtyard!

Arriving with style was - and still is - essential to courtiers trying to make an impression. But, oh, the embarrassment if one was to make an error and in such a public place too! A big no-no was arriving after the King and Queen had gone to bed or before they had risen. And that is not to mention if you even had the right to drive into the courtyards at all. There were quite clear and simple rules of who were allowed to do just this:

The King and Queen

The Dauphin and Dauphine

The Children of France

Foreign sovereigns and princes

Cardinals

Ambassadors

Ducs and their peers

Comtes and their peers

Grand Officers of the Crown

Officers of the Dauphin, Dauphine, Queen and Children of France

So, not even if you were an Earl or Baron would you be permitted to enter the royal courtyards. And after all, there is more style in arriving at the front stepping out of your personal carriage than having to walk across the courtyard with your expensive ball gown.